Many recordings of great shows from this period are superior in quality.

These August shows are a high point in 1968. In addition to this 8/28/68 set, 8/21, 8/22, 8/23, and 8/24 are excellent. This one was recorded just a few days after the Two From the Vault shows (8/23-8/24), and has the same energy and creativity as all four of those shows.

This is actually just a set, but a very good one. A beautiful Dark Star that disproves the idea that Jerry didn’t learn how to play guitar until the 1970’s. St. Stephen rocks, and the Eleven may be the best of this run of stellar shows. The Eleven is the high point of this set. Jerry flies through it at mach speed with Phil close behind. It starts out with high energy, but picks of up speed after the vocals, imperceptibly changing key for the slowing and landing into Death Don’t Have no Mercy.

Unfortunately, Death Don’t Have No Mercy is weak. The band gets lost and stumbles a few times, and it doesn’t have the passion of others of this period. It doesn’t match the ones of the previous week. The volume of the recording here is also very low.

Things snap back into focus with Lovelight. Jerry does a nice job soloing and jamming behind Pigpen’s rap.

The audio quality is listenable, but certainly below par. If you want to hear very similar shows of good audio quality, check out 8/21, 8/22, 8/23 here at Archive. There’s also the 8/23 - 8/24 material, which was released as “Two From the Vault”. (The 8/23 material here at Archive is not included on TFTV.)

8/21/68:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd68-08-21.sbd.cotsman.17355.sbeok.shnf

8/22/68:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd68-08-22.sbd.cotsman.14915.sbeok.shnf

8/23/68:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd68-08-23.sbd.sacks.52.sbefail.shnf